Holding the Hate Hostage
by Oi-You
Summary: Axel and Roxas have never gotten along. What happens when they're kidnapped and forced to play nice? AkuRoku
1. Can't Anybody

**AuthoursNote:**

**This is my first fic posted under this username on fanfic. It is a two shot, so before you stop reading the first chapter, it does get less angsty and more sweet. **

**It is a boy/boy fic so if you don't like it don't read it. It's not my problem if you do and then complain to me about it. It's pointless and just sad overall. Go out get a life.**

**This fic doesn't have sex in it, but I think some of my other ones will. If you want to check out the up coming stories check out my profile and tell me what you think. If you've got any ideas to add be my guest. I'll see what I can do.**

**I am not making profit from this or claiming it as my own so you have no grounds to sue me you viscous lawyers you. **

**Read on! Review please or I wont know if you like it and I will take it down :)**

You can hate someone and then you can _hate _someone. In movies sometimes when two people hate one another through certain circumstances they fall in love. Sometimes best friends fall in love, or sometimes they fall out and into hate. You never really see hate, never really hear hate but dear god you can feel it. Normally a person can only _hate_ one other person for the rest of their lives, because it's such a time and emotion consuming task. Then there are those who hate the world. Isn't it interesting to note, that when you put people who hate the same thing in the same room it breeds fondness. When you put people who hate the world and everything in it in the same room there is only hate. But what happens when you put two people who _hate_ each other together in a room with people who couldn't give a shit about hate or the world? But what if these people were armed and wanted to kill you? It can go one of two ways. You can begin to _hate _the other person, or you can begin to depend on their company like no one else. That is, if you don't get killed first.

Roxas woke up to the same sound every morning. The same annoying buzz that made his anger instantly erupt. Some time ago Roxas would go to bed calm, happy or sad usually never angry and he would wake up any of the same. But this is the present and not sometime ago and all he did now was sleep on it. Sleep on the same competitive angry detest that settled comfortably in the back of his head. He didn't have any energy to smile or show any emotion any more. He was to busy, watching, waiting, and calculating each move better than _him._ It was ironic that his enemy lived across the hallway from him. Yes, that's right his enemy. No one had really earned that title until now.

Hitting the alarm of the bedside table Roxas got up and looked out his window onto the street. The black car still sat there, which meant he was still asleep. Even in the early morning light that reminded Roxas normal people were still asleep he felt better. It was five a.m., just like it had been yesterday and the day before. For the past five years since that annoying cretin had come into his life Roxas' day to day schedule changed. Of course no one knew the extent of his hatred, but they knew there was something there. Strong dislike some would say, others would say just rivalry, Kairi the only one who could stand to be around him now would say that it was foolish. She warned him once that he would be consumed by it, obsessing over it day in and out. She said once that if he wasn't careful it would turn into love, but Roxas could not agree with her. Love, he laughed at the idea. There was no way in hell he could love someone who he hated, it just didn't make sense.

So as he went and grabbed a cup of coffee from the kitchen in his flat, he checked the doorway. Looking through the peephole there was no movement. With a slow sigh he returned to his long window and stared at the alleyway again. It had rained last night and _his _car was wet sitting surrounded by dumpsters and the neon light of the pub next door. Roxas had seen him go in and out of the pub too many times to count, so now he never drank. Not even to be social at parties like his mother had asked, not even when they called for a celebratory toast at his brothers wedding. Roxas was a teetotaller until _he _was off alcohol. Roxas pushed two of his fingers through the blue blinds to get a better look at the car. With a small smile he thought of his car sitting comfortably in the car park, not a drop of water. Of course the bastard had bought a car that looked similar to Roxas's. It was black just like Roxas's BMW; the black Audi which belonged to _him_ even had a car park near his. Roxas remembered fondly the footage of his hated neighbour trying to get the keypad to work. Having friends in I.T had never been better. After Roxas had gotten a copy of the key tag _he _had it was as simple as disengaging the recognition code to the lock pad and _he_ was left in the rain.

Roxas let the blinds fold back together with a metal clang and he headed for the bathroom. After a long hot shower he climbed into his suit for the day and had another cup of coffee. Pushing his college books out of the way Roxas sat down with his breakfast and ate. He had fruit and toast in that order and then another cup of coffee. God knows he'd need it after dealing with his father for a whole day.

His father, that's where this had all started, the new president of Oblivion Incorporated. Mr Daniels, the oh-so-not successor to the old president Mr Nomura. Unfortunately Mr Nomura had trouble with the percentage of shares he had in his company and the shareholders seeing his old age axed him. In came Mr Daniels senior and suddenly the shares were back in his name and the company was secure. Daniels wanted to keep the business in the family and having a son though all his dreams would come true. Except for one small issue, Roxas had not once ounce of interest in being a corporate heir. His father being the opportunist that he is decided the best way to get his then fifteen year old son to play along was some friendly competition. Mr Daniels idea of friendly competition was to adopt a new son and have them play for his affections. Which of course the best route to get to was through becoming the heir for the business. Roxas still had realised his fathers plan too late, he was too far in and he couldn't get out. Hell he wasn't sure if he wanted to. Not when _he _was still around. It wasn't about his fathers love anymore or the business. Roxas doubted if it was ever about that.

No it was about the competition, and Roxas wanted to _win. _

When he first met Mr Arnen at the ripe age of fifteen and a half he'd though he was a genetic mistake. Irish or some sort surely but definitely not from his line it was that obvious with Roxas's blonde hair and blue eyes. Arnen had the oddest looking hair and strangest body figure from the start. They were opposites when it came down to the basic formation, no wonder they completely disagreed on everything.

The worst thing was, even though Arnen had been adopted and surely from a less than wholesome upbringing he seemed to be able to match Roxas in everything. It drove him to the brink of madness and back again like a super spastic yo-yo. His father had payed for them both to go to only the best university, they both worked in the firm but somehow Roxas felt that Arnen had been given his fathers attention. His fathers wise words and the upper hands just because Roxas had wanted to follow his own path. Roxas hated his father because of his scheming manipulating ways, he could forgive him for that, secure with the thought that once his father was on his death bed he could whisper the magic words in his ear. _The company is bankrupt. _Then Roxas would sit back and watch as his father started at his fantastic son, who'd one the challenge and so obviously destroyed the company which he saved just because he could.

But he could forgive his father eventually. He hated himself too, because he'd been weak enough to get caught up in his fathers little game and wasn't strong enough to break out and go it alone. It was too late for that, too late for most things and with his bitter and twisted obsession which Kairi had claimed it he wasn't going to live a happy family lifestyle. He could eventually get to his dream job, eventually after he'd spent his time in his version of prison. And, he could forgive himself for that. Who he couldn't forgive was Arnen. He _hated _Arnen just because he existed to make Roxas's life hell. Because he could have been happy if Arnen wasn't there, he could have been happy without him existing. Arnen chose to be annoying and so obviously fighting for Roxas's father's attention that it made him sick. It made those around him look down at Roxas and think 'what a fool'. Oh no, for that he could not forgive Arnen. The thing though which annoyed him the most, ignoring the fact that he took pleasure in Roxas's pain when he said he didn't. Ignoring the fact that his first name was _Axel, _and it was so obviously a joke. Axel Arnen, get real. Ignoring the fact that _his_ presence drove him insane and everyone knew it but Arnen seemed to be oblivious. Ignoring the fact that Arnen seemed to hate Roxas less than he hated him. The thing that pushed Roxas further past hate and into _hate _was this. He wouldn't _fucking_ give up.

Petty and pathetic but true.

So as he prepared to hear about legal jargon, advertising slogans and economics and the corporate world he spent one more moment looking at his reflection. Roxas froze at the person staring back at him. That man, the thirty year old, could not be his reflection. Roxas was only twenty for Christ's sake. But sure enough, as Roxas moved so did the man. The dark bags under his eyes and grey skin could not be parts of Roxas's face. With a frown and a heavy sigh Roxas pushed it to the back of his mind to worry about later. He wouldn't scream or rage and carry on like he wanted to because he wasn't a child anymore. That and Arnen had done it too many times for Roxas to count and Roxas was not on Arnen's level. With his black briefcase in tow Roxas stepped out of the flat at six and making sure no one else was around he walked to the door across labelled 401.

The apartment complex was set out so that two families could live on one floor in the four quarters. The four quarters were South, North, West and East and in total there were eight floors in each section. Roxas lived in the West section which his father had told him had the best views. That and it was away from the screeching families and little children. His flat was modern, as modern as it could get without being impractical for what Roxas used it for and looked like it did the day he first entered. Roxas could change the décor if he wanted to, but he didn't see any point.

He pressed his cheek gently against the cold wood of the doorframes and listened for movement. Hearing nothing he quickly hurried to the window and sure enough the car was still there. With one last attempt at looking through the peephole to no avail Roxas marched down the hallway to the elevator. The 'ding' echoed through out the hallway and as Roxas went to step into the metal contraption he halted. There in jeans and a black sweatshirt was _him_. He didn't look tired or grey, sure he was skinny but he was always skinny and he looked healthy. With a frown already on his face Arnen looked up and met Roxas's face.

"Good Morning Roxas. You're off early." Arnen didn't even flinch when Roxas stood there glaring at him. He hoped his eyes could burn black holes through his face so Arnen could stop being so damn happy.

"I'm surprised you're up at all, with all of the heavy drinking you do at night." Arnen broke the gaze between them when he blinked and looked down.

"Yes, well maybe I'm getting better at it."

"Habit will do that to you." Roxas held the doors open and lifted an eyebrow when Arnen didn't move. "Are you planning to ride the elevator for the rest of the day or are you getting out?" Arnen looked at him again for a moment and his eyes were puzzled and calculating. Roxas stood firm and cold, his eyes bored, his face unamused. Arnen sighed and walked towards him and down the hallway without a word. When Roxas turned around from where he was in the elevator he could see Arnen leaning against the door to his flat watching Roxas as the doors closed. His face flashed surprise before he schooled it back into a scowl.

The doors closed on Arnen and with a long sigh the tension eased out of Roxas's shoulders. He rode to the basement with no one getting on or off. He walked the distance to his car and faltered in his stride when he saw the state of it. Picking up his suitcase from the floor which he assumed he'd dropped he walked slowly towards it, hoping that someone would jump out and yell surprise. But no one did and when he touched the stripes of white spray paint he became enraged. Punching the car he looked over at the worlds scribbled across it. Bastard and Criminal, wuss, daddy's boy, there was only one person who could have done this. And he was upstairs laughing it off in the shower. With a grunt of disgust Roxas walked across the hallway to the garbage bin. Just as he'd suspected in there were various bottles of empty spray-paint cans. Steaming Roxas walked out towards the alleyway and got out his car keys. With it poised between his forefinger and thumb he ran it down the shiny exterior, across the roof, over the back and began to write "Fuck you" on the hood when he heard a voice.

"You'll destroy your key's doing that." Roxas turned with a glared full of his hatred and fired it at the man in the window.

"I have no fucking use for them now after you destroyed my car!" Arnen watched him from the hallway window, with a stone cold expression on his face.

"It's only a car Roxas, just like that's only a car. I'm not going to get revenge on you for this. I only do the things I do because it's petty but you fall for it. I'll stop when you stop."

"Go fuck yourself Arnen. Its all about revenge, you and me both know it." With a shake of his head and a sigh Roxas became even angrier if that was possible. "Am I boring you? Maybe you should call father and he can entertain you, after all that's all he ever does!" With a gasp of breath Roxas turned to march off down the alleyway with a now angry Arnen frowning at his back.

By the time Roxas had reached the bus stop he was still clenching his teeth. Today he didn't feel like catching a cab, it would take too long and the bus was already there. Plus the more people Roxas had around him now, probably the better. He sat on the bus near the back and waited for it to get into the city where he would have to walk. Roxas didn't care, it would probably make him feel better, probably not make him feel like he needed to throttle something. Namine his assistant would probably find that suited her just fine. She had been too many times on the end of Roxas's now short temper. With a silent sigh Roxas looked up at the grey building before him. It was taller than most of the ones around and by far the most spectacular. Of course that's what Oblivion Inc. was intending to do. It brought the word multitalented into action. Aside from owning a large portion of the media and advertising, it owned all of the public facilities not only in this town but in others as well. It was the daddy corporation to Twilight Inc. that specialised in the hospitality industries.

Then he swallowed and walked in away from the grey clouds that were now hovering over the roof. The white and the cold hit him like they normally did every morning. Hard and unrelenting. Blinking fast to steady his vision he looked around the expansive room of white marble and nodded a greeting to the three receptionists all clad in monochromatic attire. They blinked in unison and smiled like baby-dolls on show. Roxas headed for the elevator and was not harassed by anyone on the way there for once. Straight into his office which was again across from Arnen's he slammed the door and slumped into his chair. He buzzed Namine and ordered a straight black coffee. His day was just starting and he was already tired. When he opened his e-mail there were already a hundred new e-mails just waiting to be opened. Roxas was still undecided whether or not e-mail was a good thing.

Namine finally came in and gave him his cup of coffee. Handing him his memos she smiled and came around the back of his chair to massage his shoulders.

"You do know that this tension can't be good for you." Her hands pressed into the sore spots in the back of his neck that had become a recurring problem. It should have made things better but it didn't. Shrugging her off Roxas lent forward.

"Has Peterson passed on the new reports?"

"They've been faxed to the Operations Office and Bernard has given his approval. Diana and her team have presented the new slogan to the Chief of Advertising and he likes it. Ronald has drawn up the budget for the festival but with all of the things Mr Daniels wants included it's not going to come cheap." Roxas let out a sigh.

"I'm sure the man has plenty of money to splurge on events that will grant publicity like this. That and I'll remind him how much money he has so he needn't worry about this amount. Thanks Namine, you can return to you desk."

"Yes Mr Henry." Roxas sighed at that. His father had insisted seeing as it would be unfair in the face of the company to have his biological son have his last name when his adoptive son couldn't. Of course the only reason Arnen couldn't was because Daniels' wouldn't allow it. So from the moment he started work in Oblivion he used his mother's maiden name. She wasn't alive right now but God only knows what she'd say about the state of things. Namine dressed in her black high waisted skirt and white shirt gave a red mouthed smiled and tottered away on her high heels. It was hard standing near the woman when she was in heels because she was taller than him. Roxas was short in build and only came up to five foot seven. Arnen of course towered over him at six two, and that wasn't including the hair.

There was a knock on his door at ten and his father had barged in. "Are you prepared to present to the board."

"Yes Mr Daniels." His father gave him that cool glance like he knew all. Standing just under Roxas five foot seven with darker blonde hair the only resemblance was the cheeks and the eyes. Thank god that was the only resemblance Roxas prayed. So off he went to the blue green board room that looked like a bad lawn and gave his speech. He was silently aware that Arnen was present sitting to the left of Daniels and didn't even look up when he entered the room. Roxas finished his speech on a less that high note and took his seat across from Arnen, to his fathers right.

A woman called Suzanne gave the stats of the last public survey and Roxas could only frown when Arnen's eyes drifted to his and stayed planted. They watched each other from across the table one glaring the other calculating and it wouldn't be hard to guess which belonged to whom. Arnen stood up then when his father called for him to and walked to the front. The projected came to life and Arnen stood in a glow of blue until the screen flickered black. Then he spoke, he talked about the festival and his take on things and how he could get it all for relatively cheap with it still being good quality. He had pictures of those who had volunteered their services performing tricks, even video recordings of up and coming talent. Arnen's speech was flashy and he presented it as if it was the most interesting thing. The board who he knew preferred Arnen to Roxas was enraptured, the others held with a mild interest. Flash was good, solid truth and nothing extravagant was better. It made people think you weren't hiding something or trying to impress anyone. Roxas was doing his job, he didn't have anyone to flatter and it looked exactly like that. Exactly how he'd intended it to.

"Very nice Axel. I will have to discuss it with the board for a moment in private but I think it's clear which option we should go with." Daniels looked at Roxas as he said the last and then tilted his head towards the door, indicating that both boys should exit out of it.

Roxas walked out first and didn't bother to hold the door when Arnen followed through. He went and sat in the conference room and Arnen followed. Arnen sat across from him and watched him like he had in the board room. The red haired male opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by his phone ringing. He answered it after the third ring and stood and walked out the door. Roxas watched Arnen through the glass panels on either side of the door. His red hair had somehow been managed back into a low ponytail and his black suit wasn't wrinkled as it normally was. His white shirt stood out because he didn't have a tie but in here it looked out of place. Arnen's game was slipping, that's all it could have been to Roxas. Oh no, he wouldn't let the bastard trick him into a false sense of security. With his grey suit and red tie Roxas adjusted himself in the chair and spun so that he could look out the window. He shouldn't watch Arnen anyway. God knows the bastard gets enough attention.

He heard the door open and Arnen shuffled in and sat down. Roxas refused to turn in his chair to acknowledge the bastard. With a sigh he could feel Arnen's eye pressing into his chair. It bugged him more than it should have. He wanted to turn and scream at him, but at work they had an unspoken agreement to be civil at least. Roxas was sure he didn't want his father finding out about how badly affected this little competition had gotten. Arnen began tapping something on the wood table top, something which Roxas presumed to be a plastic pen. The steady tap, tap, tap began to make his eye twitch and then Roxas spun. With a glare Arnen froze mid motion and then after looking down at the pen briefly he continued to tap. Tap, tap, tap, went the pen and goodbye went Roxas's patience.

"Stop that."

"So you can talk outside of our fathers influence and yelling." Arnen gave him that same calculating once over and Roxas glared.

"I only talk to you when I am forced to. Don't think this is anything other than civility, or getting what I want done."

"You're a manipulator." For a moment Roxas was too stunned to speak "So he has corrupted you further than I thought." The smart remark that was on Roxas's tongue died.

"Corrupted? _I _am not corrupted. I am many things but corrupt is not one of them. You on the other hand, I have yet to see any evidence to suggest otherwise."

"How can you say that? I have been nothing but kind to you." His comment brought back the anger that was simmering below Roxas's surface.

"If this is your version of kindness it is severely warped. I dread to see your actions of hate."

"I don't hate you." The statement was quiet and soft, the kind that would have seemed genuine coming from anyone's mouth but Arnen's. But now it only seemed rehearsed and a lie. Feeling annoyed and hurt Roxas responded the only way he could think of.

"Yes but I _hate _you." Arnen didn't move for a moment.

"Why?"

"Your existence is nothing more to me than a plague on my life, a tumour eating away at everything that I've ever wanted. Everyday I wake up knowing that you're the black mark in my life, the one who has made me who I am today. Are you proud knowing what you've killed in me? Yet you have the balls to pretend as if we could be friends. Do you _know _how condescending and patronising that is? Do you Arnen? You come into my life all intrigue and attention. The media love you, the staff love just because you're different but you know what you really are? A freak which doesn't belong. Everyone knows you aren't part of the family and you still pretend. Do you know how foolish you look? I bet you do, because it's all part of your plan."

There were hot tears sitting on the edges of Roxas eye lids, the tears burned along with his anger. Roxas knew there was no going back. "I _hate _you for what you do, who you are and because you simply exist." Roxas refused to blink and Arnen refused to look at him. Holding the tears dangling on his eyelids Roxas stood there and let his words wash back over him. A cold sense of unease hit his stomach and made it sink. Arnen still didn't move, his hands were clenched shut but other than that he was still. Roxas tried to prepare himself for some scathing remark or a come back, but he wasn't prepared for this.

"Even after all that you've said to me. I still can't hate you." Arnen lifted his head and Roxas froze. His voice came out soft but pained and his eyes were hard with emotion.

"I look at you and no matter the mean and cruel things you say to me, I can't hate you. I should, but I can't. Everything you say are lies and it hurts to know that you hate me just because you can, but I still can't hate you."

Roxas then blinked and the angry tears slipped out. Arnen's face didn't change and he didn't look away even when Roxas broke eye contact and wiped his eyes.

"Why?" was the weak and angry reply. But Arnen didn't answer even when he had the time to as Suzanne came to collect them. She could sense the tension between them but said nothing. They walked back into the conference room, each others words replaying in their minds. Sitting across from each other had never been as uncomfortable. Roxas felt small and cold like he was suffering from guilt. He tried to be angry at himself, at Arnen, even his father but there was nothing there but stone cold embarrassment. He looked up twice quickly and noted that Arnen didn't seem to even care about anything around him, and Roxas's cold feeling began to burn from the guilt.

"So with that in mind, it is my pleasure to tell you that we will be going with Roxas's idea." Daniels finished and Roxas didn't even feel the slightest amount of glee as the members of the board smiled at him. As soon as the meeting had finished Arnen was out of there as quick as humanly possible and Roxas followed shortly after. They each went into their offices, although Roxas felt as though he could feel the other mans presence through the walls.

The rest of the day went by in a blur but Roxas never changed how he was feeling. Through all of the mean and nasty things they had done to each other he still couldn't shake the feeling. Then night came and Roxas was slightly better but he didn't rush home. That night as he climbed into bed he stared at the ceiling for some time before he began to laugh. His laugh didn't sound like his own it was hollow and empty and as soon as he realised this it became hysterical and then turned into sobs. Here was Roxas a twenty year old corporate heir sobbing in his bed because he'd told his adoptive step brother he hated him. No not just hated, but _hated _him and had given him reasons. He wasn't crying because he'd felt free but because he was guilty. It was ironic, he'd gotten it all out in the open and he'd hurt himself in the process.

So as he lay in his white walled room and wondered if he was having a mid life crisis at the age of twenty Roxas wondered what Arnen was doing now. Then he heard a thump from across the hallway and some hushed whispers followed by some drunken moans. Getting up he slunk to the door with his sobs stuck in his throat and looked out of his peephole. It was only then that his brain registered both of the shapes to be male. One was Arnen and the other a tall brunette who had him pinned against the wall. Arnen slurred something and then the brunette was kissing him. Arnen a man was allowing himself to be kissed by another man. As Arnen groaned and flung himself backwards against the wall the other man fumbled for the keys. After some stumbling and breaks for heavy panting they fell through the doorway. Roxas wasn't sure what his face looked like when he watched the whole thing. He wasn't sure what he looked like sliding to the floor aided by his door. He was sure of one thing, Arnen was gay.

That night Roxas sat against the door as the moon faded and eventually fell asleep on the marble floor. He dreamt of red and faces blurring but the next morning he couldn't think of anything but Arnen.

He made his way to work slowly and by nine he was there. Namine asked him why he was late to which he gave no reply. He had no meetings and spent most of his day inside the office answering e-mails but doing little else. He hadn't seen Arnen enter or leave his office either and remembered the man was flying out to a conference and would be back in the afternoon. Roxas wondered if he'd managed to get on the five a.m. plane flight after the night he'd had and then repressed the images of Arnen thrown back against the wall moaning. His father didn't bother him today for once and so Roxas went home early a thing he rarely did. He excused himself under the pretence that he was sick and needed some bed rest. Namine let him go with home remedies on how to get better yelled after him. Roxas didn't hear a word.

As he got home Roxas walked slowly down the corridor and lingered outside his door. When he walked in to his flat there was a message on his machine. It was Kairi saying there'd be a get together tonight in a club downtown and Roxas was invited. Kairi had finished the message with threats of what was to come if he didn't show. Roxas didn't really pay attention.

It was strange but for the first time all Roxas did was flop onto the couch. There was no sudden urge to get changed or shower. He didn't even want to get up and go to the bathroom when the need arose. As he walked out from the luminescent bathroom he noticed how dark his flat was. Roxas went around and turned on the lights but suddenly it felt very empty. There was another phone call, it was Daniels. After the message had finished Roxas was on the floor and wondering how he had gotten there. What disturbed him the most was the message, Arnen had quit the business. Roxas began to breathe quickly and his flat looked more like blocks and he couldn't clearly define anything. He was panicking and he didn't know why. So he curled up in a little ball on the floor and waited for things to sort themselves out.

"Why?" he whispered to himself.

When his phone rang for the third time Roxas didn't even flinch. It was Kairi again just reminding him that it was past the time for fashionably late so he'd better hurry up. With nothing better to do and an increasing dread of doing something stupid in the flat across from Arnen he got dressed to go out. With black jeans and a darker black t-shirt, Roxas sighed and was done. The club Kairi had picked was loud and there were men and women lining up for blocks to get in. Kairi waved him down from the front and he got in without a hitch. Excluding, Kairi's shoulder punch on the way in of course.

The night went by in a blur and all I could remember was Kairi continuously ordering one alcoholic drink or another. Then as he stumbled back to his room he saw a blur coming out from the door that was oh so not on his side. With a half hearted swing at who he assumed to be Arnen he collapsed onto the ground. It was there he assumed he'd spent most of the night but when he felt a soft pillow he woke up to find himself back in his own room. Roxas didn't want to dwell on how he'd gotten there so he didn't.

With a sigh and a stutter as he held a hand against his head Roxas stumbled to the bathroom. After spending a good half hour finding out what he had actually ingested last night Roxas returned to the kitchen. The light came through the slits in the blinds that covered all of the windows he had in the flat. Roxas turned around and then noticed again like he had last night that his apartment was darker than usual. More shadows, no colour and mostly filled with closed walls. So on a whim Roxas drew open every blind in the house and in filed the yellow light. Roxas had a good look at what he was living in, how his life had turned out. There was little sign that someone was living there currently. That's when he saw it. He wouldn't have noticed it if the light hadn't been hitting the glass table but sure enough it was and he did. Sitting on top of the glass was a single red hair.

Last nights memories came in a swarm and tackled Roxas. He remembered swinging and hitting the carpeted floor that smelt like bleach. He remembered the warm hands rolling him over and a deep voice asking him questions. What those questions were Roxas had no clue because he was so far gone but he could assume what they would have been. Then the next part was fuzzy but he was sure that Arnen had carried him into his house and put him in his bed. Roxas went and sat on the couch across from the glass coffee table and the red hair. Sitting there watching as the sun gave the red a gradient Roxas began to slowly realise what his life consisted of. Sure most people don't have mid life epiphanies after seeing a discarded hair of their next door neighbours. Yes, Roxas was too young for a mid-life crisis but what he was; only just realising it now, was stupid. Stupid, petty, obsessive, immature, childish and pathetic could only be a few of the words to describe the way Roxas felt.

"So much of my life is about him." The weight of this statement left Roxas feeling hollow and empty. Not sad or depressed just empty.

His work life revolved around getting his fathers love and beating Arnen. His apartment looked this way because he was sure Arnen would have changed his own apartment. He dressed the way Arnen wouldn't dress. He didn't drink because Arnen did; he didn't go out most nights because Arnen did. Arnen, Arnen, Arnen. It was all about him.

Now that he wouldn't be at work or eligible to win Daniels' affection Roxas didn't feeling the growing sense of victory that he should have. He felt more like someone had taken a hammer and smashed away at the pieces that he revolved around. It really was sad how much Roxas had dictated his life around Arnen. Now that parts of it wouldn't involve him anymore he didn't know what to do with himself. Who he was, was competing against Arnen, besting Arnen. Roxas shook himself from this stupor and got ready to go to university.

From today onwards he would go about getting rid of Arnen in everything about Roxas. He would cleanse himself as daunting as that sounded. With a grunt he pulled on his jeans and slipped a blue shirt over his head. Noticing that he was already late for class, Roxas hurried to the nearest bus stop. His professor would not be pleased today, but who really cares.

As he got out of the bus and walked across the open area to the front of the gate. Not many people were out walking around and it was odd that there wasn't any noise from the traffic. Roxas came into his class and sat down for another business lecture from a professor who seemed to find it entertaining to glare at him for the whole hour and a half.

Lunch had come and Roxas took a walk down the street to the shops there. He hadn't seen Arnen in any of the classes they shared. Perhaps Arnen had quit university too or perhaps he was avoiding Roxas. With a quiet gasp which had the lady behind the counter looking at him weird Roxas was hit with another epiphany.

What if Arnen _hated _him now? It would be just typical for that bastard to do the thing which he constantly assured Roxas he didn't once the blonde had dropped his guards. Because that's what he had done. Roxas now no longer felt that all consuming pull of heat and negativity towards Arnen like he used to. He felt stupid and foolish and guilty for acting that way the whole time, but no, he didn't _hate _Arnen. Roxas still hated Arnen, but not in the same way as before. This hate he could get over, learn to live with or shrug off. As Roxas walked back over the terracotta pavement he heard a steady rev of a car engine. The sound grew closer and he turned just in time to see a white van pull up and a barrage of black hooded people jump out. They grabbed at Roxas, his burger now thrown on the grown struggled in their hands. There were five of them and all males as far as he could tell. Needless to say they got him in the car fairly easily. Roxas did have enough dignity to admit that he was weaker physically than he would have liked.

He was bound, gagged and blindfolded and then they were moving. Roxas began to panic; wasn't this a scene from crime films? The car engine roared loud, the sound heightened because Roxas couldn't see. There were no other voices in the car aside from a continuous grunting and incoherent yelling sound from beside him. That's when he smelt it, the cologne that he'd purposely not bought, but really liked, because Arnen wore it. Arnen was here too! He tried to squash the building hysteria in the back of his throat and focused on the fact that he wouldn't be alone in what ever this was. Roxas tried to call out his name from behind the gag and the voice stopped for a while. Roxas positioned himself in the direction the voice had come from and kicked out. He heard a grunt and then Roxas began yelling again. They were just incoherent words, calls for help, and sounds of reassurance. Arnen knew he was here as he responded. The people who were sitting in the back did not like the idea of the two boys co-operating together and pulled them apart with grunts and what Roxas assumed looks of annoyance and contempt.

The ride lasted longer than the movies showed and his hysteria only continued to build and settle in the back of his throat. When he was hoisted to his feet suddenly his legs couldn't handle it. He stumbled and fell because his legs were numb. He heard a sound similar to the one he'd made as he hit the ground and assumed Arnen had done the same thing. Strange enough Roxas felt a small sense of victory in that. With some swear words leaking from the mouth of one of their captors Roxas was hoisted again to his feet and shoved through what he assumed to be a doorway.

Through the whole journey, down stairs, along hallways, through circling walkways and even up more stairs nothing was worse than finally being thrown in a room with the door locked. Nothing was worse, than the knowledge that this was just the beginning, there was more to come and no way out that he knew of. Roxas then screamed from behind the gag and kicked and scrambled to his feet. Only to be thrown back on the floor. He hit another body who he assumed to be Arnen who sat there still not moving. His calmness had no effect on Roxas so blind by hysteria that he was. Roxas continued to scream and pull at his restraints until his was kicked in the stomach firmly.

The movies never prepare you for how much a blow to the stomach actually hurts, especially as Roxas assumed, the boots that kicked him were steel capped. Trying to curl into a ball and only just managing to do so from the position of his tied arms Roxas began to whinge softly. No, he couldn't sob just yet, the hysteria was gone but he could whinge at how cruel the world was. Then he stopped slapped his mental self into line and took some deep breaths. Roxas was lifted so he was sitting back against who he assumed to be Arnen and the blindfold was removed, along with the gag. The only person left in the room was covered from head to toe in black and Roxas would have thought them a ninja if he hadn't seen the gun. Then they turned and left with the sound of many locks and deadbolts to keep them company.

* * *


	2. Find Me Someone to Love

**AuthorsNote: **

**Yeah I updated twice in one hit. WOW. I couldn't just have one chapter up for a two-shot, it would just be cruel. As a general rule I will try and update as a whole thing so yeah. **

**As a head's up I probably will only -for now- will be writing long one-shot type things. My other account has got long stories on it and I...am having trouble writing longness so yeah. **

**Review please.**

So as he sat there with Arnen at his back Roxas drifted in and out of states of hysterics

So as he sat there with Arnen at his back Roxas drifted in and out of states of hysterics. There wasn't a sound for what seemed like hours so he began to fidget uncontrollably. Then he heard a sigh from the person behind him, strange he'd almost forgotten that he was there.

"What?" He felt Arnen stiffen behind him.

"What do you mean what?"

"What was that sigh for?" Roxas snapped, if Arnen didn't have enough time for him then fine.

"Of all of the fucking places…you really know how to place an argument." The sarcasm was not light on that one and it hit Roxas in the back of the head like a slap.

Roxas tried to turn and yell at Arnen's face but ended up falling on his side. With some more grunts and failed attempts at getting up Roxas lay there on the ground. With a sigh the utter _shittyness_ of the situation seemed to dawn. He was stuck in a cement unfurnished room, which looked a lot like a cell, on the ground next to his ex-enemy who was _not _on the floor. So yes, things did suck quite a bit. The silence began to settle on the room and Roxas did not like that one bit. Being the inventive and cunning person he was he came up with an idea.

"I blame you for this."

"What?"

"I blame you for this whole situation. I mean it's _clearly _your fault."

"How the fuck do you figure that!" Arnen swerved so that he was looking down at Roxas who continued along, seemingly unaware of the furious red head.

"Knowing you, you probably pissed someone off or something and then they came to kill you. But of course after you'd broken into my house I was the last one you were with, they must have taken me as a safety measure to make sure your location was kept secret."

"I'm utterly _amazed_."

"My powers of deduction are quite-"

"No, I'm _amazed, _at the shit you come up with. I should have known from the beginning only a real shit spinner like yourself could have taken over the business. Good thing I quit when I did."

"Yeah, _about _that. Um, what the hell!" Roxas yelled that last bit so harshly that his body jerked. "How can you just quit, after everything, after _everything._"

Arnen was silent then. "I know when I'm beaten."

"What? You weren't beaten."

"I was down for the count Roxas."

"No you clearly weren't, I personally wouldn't know, but you seemed good at your job."

"I wasn't talking about the job." Cue Roxas's turn to lull into a silence. It strung between them until Roxas had to ask.

"What were you talking about?" With a sound that began as a laugh and finished as a sort of sob, Arnen turned his body away.

"Arnen, what were you talking about?"

Again came the sound but it was closer to a scoff this time, "If I…" he laughed that bitter laugh and didn't continue.

"Answer the damn question!"

"You Mr Henry! I was talking about _you_." The exaggeration on that sentence didn't go astray. "It was _always _about you don't you understand. It was you I thought about day in and out so much that it became like an obsession. But I somehow rationalised it that it was okay, you know because, no matter how much I thought about you, you were thinking about yourself too, _a_ _lot_ of the time. It's hard, trying to compete for the attention of another person, _especially_ when that person's attention is already captured by themselves."

Roxas was torn between rage and complete and all resounding shock that he didn't respond.

"But you shouldn't worry about me anymore Mr Henry. I won't be bothering you."

"You will be."

Roxas could feel Arnen turn in his place to look at Roxas again. "Didn't you hear me I just said-"

"I _heard_ you Arnen. You may not be there physically but you will still be bothering me. You've always bothered me; I always thought I understood why."

"Oh the hate thing again hm? The fact my mere presence disturbs you, brings such feeling of loathing to you. You know what, fuck you. I didn't think I would actually say this. Hell I didn't want to, I still don't want to but considering the situation calls for it why the _fuck _not? Fuck you Mr Henry, fuck you Roxas, fuck you." With ever curse he leant closer to Roxas's face as he hissed it.

"I'm sorry." Roxas was surprised his voice had come out at all. The cold things sitting in the corner of his eyelids weren't something he'd planned on. Hell he hadn't even planned on saying anything, but for once maybe that was a good thing.

"Yeah well…what?"

"I'm sorry for being such…a fuck to you. You did nothing to warrant it. No, not even just existing is enough to have such things said and done… " Roxas trailed off not sure where this was going.

"Wow huh?" Roxas assumed he wasn't talking about the over head lighting. "It takes a kidnapping hostage situation for you to realise you were being a dick and to apologise. Gee I'd hate to see what it would take to convince you to apologise if you'd have killed someone."

Trying to ignore what he was saying and taking it like a man, because Roxas knew it was probably less than he would have given in a reversed situation.

"When you were first introduced to the family things had already been going wrong. Mother was sick then and you as an addition; it felt like he was trying to find a replacement for the loss of a family member. Even worse she knew about it. Then as it came around that you were only here as a little competition I just flipped. She really liked you from the start, she was glad you were there. The attention she gave you drove me insane, when she knew what you were. Daniels' didn't do anything to help the problem either. Then all of my anger at mum dying, Daniels being a complete waste of life and a failure as a father, having my life planned out for me was directed at you because you were just there; happy, smiling, always asking me how my day at school was, or my day at work. I couldn't handle it; I didn't know how to react to it."

He took a breath as if to say 'any questions so far?' and continued when he looked over his shoulder at Arnen's face. He was curious and he looked strange, like he was deep in thought but ready to rub parts of this in Roxas's face. Again he probably deserved it, but the knowledge it might happen didn't help. So he continued,

"It became an obsession for me. Routine. It was what I did; it was my little game to make sense of things. When I hated you every bit of my concentration was taken up and I didn't have to focus on my life falling down around me. But then when you quit the business it made me realise how empty things would be without you there. I kept thinking and thinking about you it drove me nuts. It was when I saw one of your hairs on the coffee table that I actually acknowledged the fact that without you, there was a large gaping black void in my life. Bigger than it had been before you'd entered into the family. I tried lasting for a day on my own and it sucked, what sucked more was the realisation was… that… I don't think I can function without you."

Roxas stopped moving, talking, breathing and just froze. Waiting for a reaction without actually being able to see the other person's face had never been so hard. But then at the alternative actually seeing his reaction could have been worse. He heard a large sigh and the slide of cloth on cement before a large mass fell on his side.

"Ah! What are you doing? Get off me!"

"I need some time to process this." Arnen spoke from Roxas's side where he'd laid down.

"But is this really necessary? Arnen?" Arnen only answered after his name had been called.

"Axel."

"What?"

"Call me Axel. If I'm going to forgive or even be civil towards you, you have to get rid of the formalities. Take down some boundaries."

"This isn't-"

"Shh."

"No but I don't-"

"Shh." Roxas 'hmphed' at being shushed

"Axel…" The word felt strange on his tongue but it got the desired reaction.

"Yes?" said Arne-uh Axel quietly.

"I still don't see how this is necessary."

"I need quiet to think, you want me to think about this, don't deny it." He said when Roxas made a 'but' sound "So by the process of my calculations, I need quiet to think and henceforth, ergo, thus, in conclusion…shut up time for you is now."

"God you're more childish than I thought." Roxas groaned and put his head back on the ground.

"Ssh!" With a roll of his eyes Roxas lay on the floor with Axel's head on his side. At some points he thought the man had fallen asleep but then he couldn't be sure. His stomach began to grumble and Roxas remembered he hadn't had lunch. With a sad exhale of breath he imagined food, glorious food and copious amounts of it.

Another hour passed and Roxas was almost completely sure that Axel had fallen asleep. Then he heard the bolts opening and closing and he knew they were in for it.

"Whadda we have here? You fags, you're all the same. Gonna cry to your daddy? We count on it." The voice belonged to a gruff blonde man with a moustache that immediately made Roxas think of a Captain Hook reject.

"Shut up Luxord." This came from a slightly more feminine voice. He stood in the doorway his odd mixture of red and brown hair falling around his shoulders. If he wasn't wearing pants and a very tight black shirt Roxas could have sworn he was a girl. Both men from this angle looked tall, but he couldn't really be sure, it was a hard angle to judge height from.

"Both of you, shut up." This time a man with long blonde hair walked in. His face was set with frown lines and he looked like he was in his early thirties. If he'd lifted his eyebrows out of the constant scowl he could have been attractive. Although from this point it looked like he might have carpal tunnel on his forehead.

"Vex-"

"Quiet! I know you two idiots have already revealed Luxord's name. I will not have mine to be used against me. You know better." He looked pointedly at the brunette, whose eyes narrowed slightly but he didn't frown.

"Now Roxas Henry and Axel Arnen, by now I think you understand what kind of situation you're in and it is not a good one. Both of you should follow our instructions completely and it would be unfortunate for you to try and escape."

"Yeah we might accidentally kill ya!" The man they called Luxord laughed and the two other males frowned.

"We are the organisation. You may or may not have heard of us depending how much your daddy dearest has let slip. We are not too pleased with the way he has gone about running things. We've warned him numerous times, even put threats on his life but he did not care. So we've done the only thing possible to get his attention."

"We took away his two heirs to the business succession he hides behind." A female voice entered the room. Her blonde hair stuck up in odd directions, but it was the eyes he was worried about. Such calculated coldness was hidden behind those blue orbs that he shivered. She looked ordinary and perhaps pretty if he didn't know she could pull the trigger and not notice a thing.

"Hello boys. How are we this evening? Uncomfortable? Oh goody." She walked towards them with a smirk on her face. With a knife in her hand poised facing up, she crouched down to Roxas level. "So tell me…which one of you will scream first?" Suddenly her hand was in the air and then the blade was rushing towards Roxas, he opened his mouth but someone beat him to it.

"Stop!" The woman's blade stopped just inches short of cutting off Roxas's nose. Roxas could see Axel'fs head turned facing him, eyes wide.

With an evil smirk she stood, shooting a glare at the man Luxord who had said "I knew it" and began collecting money. "This will make things much more fun."

"What do you want?"

"You couldn't come up with something more original?" She pouted at Axel.

"Considering the situation I wasn't worrying about being original."

"Well if you won't try," She sighed "neither will I. I cannot tell you what our plan is and so like yeah." She put the last bit in and juggled her blade in her hands, the mock ditzy voice fading away to an evil tremor on the word 'yeah'.

"How long are you planning on keeping us here?"

"As long as it takes Axel." He frowned at her.

"Do I know you?"

"No but I know all about you and your… what… step-brother there. I feel like we are old friends already, although he is kind of quiet. Roxas you still with us hun?" She glared at Roxas on the last word and Roxas just stared at her not moving. "Oh good conscious. Oh and the name you can call out in your nightmares tonight" She smiled "Larxene."

Then the room emptied and the boys were left with the idea of spending a night in the cell.

"That woman scares me."

"Lucky you, I'm terrified." Roxas decided then that he did not want to be on the floor any longer. The two of them rolled around and sat up finally so that they were facing one another with their legs interlocked.

"Why do you think we're here?"

"She's got a bitch about Daniels, we're paying for it. Although they don't seem that organised." Then Axel smirked, Roxas had to take a moment before he realised the smirk was directed at him. His heart fluttered a little, but it was still moving faster than before. Uh oh.

"That's exactly what I thought."

"So we had a similar thought that normally happens. Why are you smiling like that?" Indeed Axel was smiling like he had a marvellous idea; it began to weird Roxas out.

"Do you remember Professor Ansem?"

"Of Ansem Industries, yeah. But his company was foreclosed ages ago, what's he got to do with things?" Axel's arms began to twitch and he was suddenly moving sharply.

"Well…" His shoulder shook, "Ansem Industries was being sponsored by Nomura until Daniels came in. It was the first and only to be cut without financial aid from the sponsorship deal. There were over two hundred people laid off, apparently some of them still hold grudges. But that's not the best part."

"I didn't think this type of discussion had a 'best' part." Axel smiled that smile again and kept talking anyway.

"I've seen the floor plans of the old buildings where Ansem Industries was held; we built over the main factory and a few others but there were some scheduled for demolition that never went through."

"Why?"

"Protestors mostly. The man with the pink, he was there. I'm pretty sure; if not completely certain that this place is one of the old factories. I can get us out of here." Roxas resisted the urge to tackle him to the floor.

"You couldn't have told me this _before _I confessed to not completely hating you?"

"No, because at that point I didn't have anything that I needed to get myself out for."

"…and you do now?"

Again the smile, but this one reached his eyes and Roxas wondered how many smiled the man had. "Of course. I told you before; it's always been about you."

Roxas shook his head at that and tried to ignore it the best he could. Axel was still looking at him but the smile had gone.

"Look I said I was sorry for being a dick. I know I deserve for you to hate me openly for what I did but I don't think I could not react. Defensively and aggressively." Silence, complete silence mixed with Axel's raised eyebrows and face of surprise. The he was laughing.

"I don't see how this is the _time _for laughing!" Roxas snapped as the man laughed and laughed.

"I don't…" he chuckled "Weren't you listening when I said I could never hate you?" Roxas furrowed his brow, where was he going with this?

"Oh come on Roxas. It's not like it wasn't obvious." Roxas shrugged and shook his head. "You seriously don't know." Axel's voice dropped. "That does explain some things."

"Okay so tell me then. What don't I know?" Silence then…

"I love you." Okay Roxas was not expecting that one. It showed as he stiffened and forgot to balance falling to the floor hard.

"That was not the reaction I was hoping for but I kind of expected it."

"That was definitely not the answer I was expecting, so I guess we both didn't get what we wanted huh?" Roxas groaned and struggled to sit up again, he managed this time his stomach muscles working into overtime.

"Don't shrug it off like that."

"I wasn't shrugging anything off." Axel's green liquid glass eye stared him down. "This is hardly the time for 'I love you's'"

"I thought because you said that your life didn't 'function' without me that maybe…then again maybe I was completely wrong."

"Look can we just get us out of here? I'm sorry I'm not…I'm a _little_ preoccupied." Roxas frowned at Axel.

Axel sighed and then swung his arms around to the front with the ropes falling off.

"How did you…?"

"What you don't carry a knife in a hidden compartment in your belt in case of a hostage situation?"

"Never really crossed my mind." Axel walked over to undo the ropes on Roxas.

Roxas could feel Axels'f fingers slide down his arms on the way to the rope and bit his lip on the inside. Axel put the cold tip of the blade between the middle sections and in one swift pull ripped it apart. Before Roxas could move his arms were held in place by the rope still wrapped around them and Axel had pulled him back against his chest.

"W-what are you doing?" Roxas looked up and blinked furiously trying to not be embarrassed at meeting Axel's eyes from this angle. His face hovered inches above Roxas and it left Roxas neck stretched. He felt Axel's breath roll down the inside of his cheek and had an image of what it would be like going down the bare stretch of skin. Just holding back a shudder and a fuzzy tingle of something going down his spine Roxas tried to remain calm.

"Just wondering if I should leave you here."

"No." Roxas answered as if it were so obvious, which it uh, actually was.

"Don't worry I didn't think so either." With a small smirk Axel let go and Roxas had just enough time to stop himself from flying backwards.

Roxas got to his feet, the ropes hitting the ground with a soft thud. Axel was now walking around the room knocking on bricks.

"This isn't some Harry Potter film. Those bricks aren't going to magically disappear once knocked on." Axel ignored him and that didn't help Roxas steady simmering anger or the new found butterflies in his chest. Then with a steady knock on a brick near the corner, Axel began cutting through the grout.

"What are you-"

"If you aren't going to help, either keep check on the door or shut up." Roxas frowned and walked over to the door. There were no sounds coming from the other side of the door and just because he was paranoid Roxas searched the room quickly for video cameras. Axel had said this was an old factory so the chances of new age technology were slim to none, but still, he would have said the same thing about getting kidnapped.

Roxas jumped suppressing a squeak. Turning he found Axel pulling at the other bricks through the gap, they fell onto the floor with heavy slaps. Eventually there was a hole big enough for them to squeeze through. Roxas had to immediately squish the excitement in his chest when he heard footsteps coming towards the door.

"Axel!" Roxas's whisper made the red haired man jump. Running over to him, Axel pushed Roxas towards the hole.

"You go in first. Go straight ahead and then when you get to the overhead vent, climb up."

"But-" Roxas held onto Axel and looked at him straight in the eyes. The stood for a moment just looking at each other before Axel leant forward,

"Shh" he whispered. Roxas was then manhandled into the hole with some grunting and he crawled. "I'm right behind you."

Roxas hurried along the shaft and upon hearing Axel enter the shaft he felt slightly better. Then the voices came. They shouted and cursed and he heard Axel give a cry of surprise. He heard a loud bang as a body was thrown into a side of the shaft, Axel grunted in response.

"Come over here you fuck!" The man Luxord was grabbing at Axel who was kicking and squirming away. Luxord was relentless he had a hand on Axel's leg and was dragging him towards himself. Roxas stopped watching it all and then started crawling back to Axel to help.

"Roxas keep going!" Axel shot a kick that hit Luxord straight in the face. The man stumbled disoriented but he held on. "If you don't keep going, I _will_ hate you. Go." Roxas opened his mouth to protest but turned quickly when Axel stopped looking.

So Roxas crawled until the grunts of the struggle were only dull vibrations in the metal. Roxas stopped then as the bright sun came through the slitted vent above him. Turning he looked down the tunnel but he couldn't see anything but darkness. There was a squeak and Roxas spun on the pads of his feet to face the other way. Again there was only darkness. His heart beat steadily faster and the clenched fists he had were beginning to hurt.

"Where the fuck are you Axel?" He whispered to no one in particular. With his face buried in his hands Roxas tried to get his mind set. He should climb up and get out, he could call the police and they would rescue Axel. But he couldn't just leave him here like that. Roxas didn't want to go up alone, what if there were more turns he had to take but got lost anyway. This all would be in vain then. So he waited. For what felt like hours he waited, curled into that crouched ball. That was when he felt it, the steady rush of hot air on his neck. In and out.

Roxas jerked away but a hand held him in place and kept the scream at bay. What worked best was seeing the red spikes and green eyes, what was worse was the all knowing smile on his face.

"You waited." Axel whispered, he moved his hand to slide down Roxas's face to his shoulder. Roxas tried not to think about it. It was hard to concentrate on things when that warm weight pressed on his shoulder.

"Yeah, well I could have gotten more lost." Axel moved past him, and went to crouch under the ladder. Then Roxas saw it.

"What happened?"

"Oh this? Luxord was wearing a ring." There was blood running down his cheek and a possible bruise forming just above his eye. Roxas didn't want to think about where else Axel could have been injured. "Don't worry, he looks much worse." With that Axel climbed up and out into the sun, Roxas followed shortly after. They managed to get out of the building and onto a bus of all places. Roxas unwilling admitted he had some coins tucked in his shoes for just an occasion. The bus took them back to school where they proceeded to inform the authorities. Roxas and Axel were both questioned, Axel even more so because he was injured. As they sat in the office before the Dean's Axel and Roxas didn't move or talk. Axel had been patched up thanks to the nurse and the police had captured Luxord and the blonde male. Apparently Larxene and the pink haired one had taken off when the police arrived without informing the other two. They were now driving across the country with a police tail. Roxas had the vague idea they might end up like Thelma and Louise, then again he just wanted them in jail.

The Dean's door opened and out walked Mr Daniels, the Dean called Axel in and Roxas watched him go. Daniels turned to him, "Let's go son."

"What about Axel?" Daniels walked to the door and opened it.

"He can handle himself." If the look on Daniels face was that of pride Roxas couldn't have picked it. He looked disappointed, angry, the face someone would disown a child with. Roxas looked back at the door to the Dean's office. What would actually happen if he stayed here? God knows there was stuff that Roxas needed to think over and he wasn't sure that spending so much time after an incident like this with Axel wouldn't make him too dependant. So with a nod he turned and followed a smug Daniels out of the room.

He went home that afternoon, Daniels talked on and on but Roxas didn't listen. He kept imagining what Axels' face would look like when he came out and Roxas wasn't there. Then his brain would flick images of his face when he said 'I love you' and Roxas couldn't help but feel slightly empty. When he arrived home Kairi was there waiting for him. She said she was meeting a friend in the city so she wanted to stop by and check up on him. Apparently Daniels hadn't allowed for the story to be publicised, all in all that was probably a good thing. As soon as they sat down on the couch Roxas let out a long sigh.

"What's wrong?" He looked at Kairi.

"I was kidnapped today by some people who had a vengeance against Daniels. The guy who I thought I _hated _turns out to be the guy I not-so hate. He told me when we were tied up in this cell that he loved me. I'm trying to figure out where my life started taking turns without me knowing. And, I'm thinking the not-so hate is closer to possibly might actually like if I gave him a chance."

Kairi didn't answer for some time, her mouth flopped open that much was for certain.

"Tough day huh?" Roxas then, laughed. He couldn't help it, he laughed and laughed. The laughing was most probably some form of hysteria but it began to drain away the tension he had and left him tired.

"Yeah I guess you could say that." Kairi looked at him.

"The guy. The not so hated one. It's Axel isn't it?"

"You know him?" Roxas looked at him.

"He lives across the hall from you, he's your step…well Daniels has probably disowned him by now, he's your constant obsession as you are his. It's kinda hard to not know him me being your female best friend. That and Axel and I have a few classes together, we're friends, we talk, about you mostly."

"What?"

Kairi slumped back on her chair. "To think you left him by himself all alone at a time like this. That's quite pathetic, no not pathetic, disgusting. Criminal even. Malicious…" Kairi stopped as she noticed she was the only one in the room. Letting out a small smile she reclined on the chair "I am so good."

Roxas was currently running down to his car. He didn't care about the spray paint anymore, some of the drivers did on the road but that could have just been him over taking them without their permission. He pulled up in the car park outside the university and ran into the Dean's office as fast as possible. The lady at the desk told him Axel had gone home. With quick thanks he ran back to his car and drove like a maniac the whole way back to the apartment blocks. It was amazing he didn't get booked for speeding and endangering the public but he could be amazed about that later. Roxas took the stair because the elevator was taking too long. By the time he reached the fourth floor, Roxas was nearly having a heart attack on the stairs. Making a mental note to do more exercise he ran into the hallway. Roxas sprinted towards Axel's door, stood for a moment bent over catching his breath before he knocked. No answer. He knocked again and called out. No answer. With a tired, frustrated and sad groan he slid down the door to the floor.

"Roxas?" Roxas nearly jumped up and decked the man standing before him. The doors of the elevators slid closed, and Roxas now knew why he had to run up the stairs.

Holding up a hand, Roxas took in some deep breaths before struggling to stand up. Axel helped him.

"When you said you loved me, what did you mean?"

"What?"

Roxas took in a deep breath and cursing his lack of athleticism pushed aside the tiredness.

"When said you loved me. What did you mean?"

"There is only one way to mean it Roxas."

"Just for the sake of it, tell me exactly what you meant." Axel closed his eyes and rolled his head on his neck. A distraction maybe or maybe he was actually stretching.

"I love you Roxas. I've loved you since we started grade eleven together. I've loved you through your hatred of me. Most nights I've dreamt that you loved me back. As in _love_ Roxas. Not the brotherly kind, the real, be-all end-all one. I don't know how else to explain it without me sounding like a crazy stalker."

Roxas didn't say anything for some time as the red head'sf words washed over him. He didn't think before he was walking slowly towards Axel. He had no idea what he was going to do and for once Roxas thought that it might be a good thing.

"Good, just checking." Then he leant up and taking Axel's face between his hands, he kissed him. After the initial kiss Roxas froze and when his eyes focused he looked at Axel, who was as equally as confused.

"What…" Axel's voice was quiet just like Roxas's,

"I don't know…"

"Okay as long as you're confused too." Axel leant down then and kissed him again. He gathered Roxas into his arms and Roxas didn't resist…much. They stood there letting their lips press against one another before Axel began to deepen the kiss. Roxas pulled back, trying to focus his eyes and spoke.

"Does this mean…"

"No you're still confused. Shh" With that Axel was smiling as he leant in to kiss Roxas again. Roxas felt slightly annoyed that Axel was being slow and condescending. So he turned the man and threw him up against the wall, kissing him hard and fast. Axel struggled to keep up, whether from surprise or genuinely being stunned. When Roxas pulled back Axel was breathing heavily and he smirked. Remembering something about the position, Roxas thought back to the night he'd found out Axel was gay. Axel looked like he might know what Roxas was thinking and he swallowed.

"We _will_ talk later. After we sort out this confusion of course." With a grin he leant forward and kissed Axel slowly again.

"Right, after the confusion is sorted." They kissed and fumbled their way through the door, through to the bedroom, where they collapsed in a heap of limbs.

The following weeks were spent finding out things about each other that they hadn't had time for before. Roxas took time off work and Daniels wasn't pleased. So then Roxas quit. He wasn't really interested in the business to begin with anyway. Neither was Axel, he'd only continued to work there so he could see Roxas as it turned out.

Roxas learnt that Axel knew how to play the guitar and had won an award for public speaking in high school. Axel learnt that Roxas didn't really like ties or suits and loved to cook but never had time for it. Roxas learnt that Axel wanted to be an architect and had been studying it along with business. Axel learnt that Roxas had no idea now what he wanted to do but was more than happy to move into the new apartment they'd bought together, free from Daniels. Roxas learnt that Axel had ticklish spots behind his ears, and when they made love the underside of his upper arms were very sensitive. Axel learnt that Roxas was deep down a romantic, so he went out of his way to lure him with games into the bedroom. More than anything, Roxas learnt that the _hate _he'd initially had for Axel was nothing more then pent up frustration at him. Of course the red head did annoy the hell out of him at times and they got into fights over stupid things but Roxas wouldn't hold grudges. Because he wasn't confused, he loved Axel too.

* * *


End file.
